MetroPCS Offers $5 International Calling Plan

By Nathan Eddy |
Posted 2009-06-25

Wireless communications company MetroPCS Communications, known for
its unlimited, flat-rate, contract-less service parameters, announced
an offer of unlimited calling to more than 100 countries for $5 per
month. For the additional $5 a month, unlimited international calling
can be added to MetroPCS' $40, $45 and $50 service plans, including
family plans, which already include unlimited long distance service to
the 48 continental United States and Puerto Rico.

MetroPCS is also offering a free first month of service with the
purchase of a phone. The service can be added to MetroPCS' $40, $45 and
$50 service plans, including family plans, which already include
unlimited long distance service to the 48 continental United States and
Puerto Rico.

"Unlimited international calling at such an affordable rate can
dramatically reduce monthly long distance costs and is yet another
example of MetroPCS' commitment to providing industry-leading value to
consumers in today's tough economic climate," said MetroPCS' president,
CEO and board chairman Roger D. Linquist. "MetroPCS is eliminating the
worry of high international calling fees, counting minutes and dialing
a connecting number, typical of traditional calling cards. With
MetroPCS' international calling, consumers are truly unlimited now more
than ever."

The offering comes at a time when consumers and SMB (small to
medium-size business) owners looking to shave communications costs in
an unstable economic climate are increasingly turning toward VOIP
(voice over Internet Protocol) solutions. VOIP providers such as Skype
(which is a free for Skype-to-Skype account calls) and Speakeasy, a
Best Buy company, argue that in addition to financial savings,
advantages of VOIP include increased productivity, improved
competitiveness and enhanced functionality.

In March, Skype announced Skype for SIP-a beta program for a limited
number of users that will bring VOIP service to the office PBX. Some
analysts have suggested that as PBX systems reach retirement age, Skype
is positioned to enable enterprises to make better use of existing SIP
PBXes and to alter the impression of Skype's capability in the business
world. Skype is also a free application for the Apple iPhone and
business-oriented BlackBerry smartphones.

Speakeasy maintains there are several myths about VOIP that is
affecting adoption among midmarket businesses, including the
complications involving set-up and management and worries over voice
quality and connection reliability. However, a report from Dell'Oro
Group, a marketing research firm, predicted that IP lines will grow to
almost 60 percent of small business line shipments by the year 2011,
while digital and analog shipments are expected to decline at an
average of 10 percent per year. Traditional systems are expected to
fair even worse, declining to less than 5 percent of the total market
by 2011.